Fruit-harvester.



PATENTED DEC. 6, 1904.

E. I. WILSON. .FRUT HARVESTER.

APPLIQATION FILED MAR. 18, 1904.

s emma-B11111212 1.

N0 MODEL..

Witnesses Attoreys N0 MODEL.

E. P. WILSON.

FRUT HARVESTER.

AmmoATrol-I FILED MAR. 1a, 1904.

PATENTED DEG. 6, 1904.

Z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

4 JMWJMZJWZ, Inventor By w 0' Attorneys No. 776,580. Patented December 6, 1904.

p UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE'.

EDVVARD-FRANOIS WILSON, OF SALT SPRING ISLAND, CANADA, ASSIG'NOR OF ONE-HALF TO HENRY BUCKLE, OF SALT SPRING ISLAND, CANADA.

FRUIT-HARVESTER..

SPECIFICATIONformng part of Letters Patent No. '77 6,580, dated December 6, 1904. Application iiled March 18, 1904. Serial No. 198,722. (No model.)

T @u lll/@0m t "M7/.7J CUN/@WW ing shown also. This View, is upon a some- 50 Be it known that I, EDWARD FRANCIS I/VIL- what enlarged scale. Fig. 4. is a vertical secsON, a subject of the King of Great Britain, tion taken substantially on the line 44 of Fig. residing at Salt Spring Island, county of Vie- 2, but representing the parts upon an entoria, Province of British Oolumbia,Oanada, larged scale. Fig. 5 is a front elevation of have invented certain new and useful Iinthe parts shown in Fig. 4. Fig. 6 is a verti- 55 provements in Fruit-Harvesters; and I do cal section taken substantially on theline 6 6 of hereby declare that the following is a full, Fig'. 2. Fig.` 7 is a perspective representing clear, and exact description of the invention, the device in a folded condition when espe- IO such as will enable others skilled in the art to cially adapted for being moved about. Fig'.v

which it appertains to make and use the saine. 8 is a side elevation representing the device 60 My invention relates to fruit-harvesting; as folded into a compact bundle. and myobject is to produce a device especially Throughout the drawings and specification adapted for facilitating the gathering' of fruit, the same numerals of reference denote like I5 such as apples and pears. parts.

The invention Acontemplates the picking' of Referring more particularly to the parts, 1 65 the fruit from the branches of the trees, and represents the ladder, which is of a common special arrangements are made for bringing type, comprising a front standard 2 and a rear the apples to the ground from time to time as standard 3, attached together above by means 2O they are gathered without danger of in juring of pintles i for passing through the plates 4t,

the same and without entailing a substantial which latter are rigidly connected with the 70 loss of time by the operation. front standard 2, said ladder being adapted to A special object has been to produce a deassume when set up substantially the appearvice which is very simple in construction and ance of an A in side elevation. The rear inexpensive and which is adapted to be folded standard 3 comprises two legs 5, which have up when not in use into a compact bundle. pivotally attached thereto distance-bars 6, the 75 Special arrangements are made for faeilisame being attached preferably at substantating the transportation of the device from tially the height indicated. The forward eX- plaee to place. tremities of these distance-bars (i are received The invention consists, substantially, of a in spaces 7, which are formed between the specially-constructed ladder adapted to be set side bars 8 and strips 9, the said strips being SO up near the tree the fruit of which is to be disposed as shown, so as to connect two adpicked, the said ladder being provided with jacent steps l() of the ladder. Pins 11 extend attachments adapted to the purposes' mentransversely across these spaces 7, preferably 55 tioned. at the upper portion thereof, as shown, and

The invention consists in the construction these pins are intended to be received by 85 and combination of parts to be more fully denotches 12, formed, respectively, in the upper scribed hereinafter, and definitely set forth in edges of the distance-bars 6, as indicated most the claims. clearly in Fig'. 4. The bars 6 having been 40 In the drawings, which fully illustrate my pushed up so that they assume the position invention, Figure 1 is a perspective representindicated in Figs. l and 5, they are maintained 90 ing the device asset up ready for use. Fig. in the relation shown by means of springs 13,

2 is a front elevation, certain parts being attached to the inner faces of the strips 9, the broken away and shown in section, and other said springs being' preferably of the form parts, which are represented in Fig. 1, are` shown, comprising inclined extensions 1A and not shown in this view. Fig. 3 is a vertical integral substantially horizontal extensions 15 95 section through a portion of a chute constidisposed above, the said last extensions passtuting a part of the invention, a portion of ing loosely through openings 16 in the strips, the ladder to which the chute is attached beas indicated. lt should be understood that ferent heights.

the springs 13 could be readily pressed inwardly by ones hand, so as to allow the distance-bars to be disconnected. In connection with the said bars 6 side braces 17 are employed, the same having expanded feet 18 setting upon the earth, said side braces being attached by means of detachable hooks 19.

To one of the side bars or legs 8 of the forward standard Q, preferably the left leg, there is attached an extension-bar 20, the same being longitudinally slidable through metal straps 21, which hold the same against fixed distance-blocks 22, as shown. Arrangement is made for securing this extension-bar at different vertical heights, which arrangement consists in providing a plurality of openings 23, which may cooperate with a removable tapered peg 24, passing through an opening in the adjacent side member 8, as indicated. At its extremities the extension-bar 20 is reinforced, so as to form heads 25 and 26, and upon these heads are mounted pulleys 27 and 28. Over these pulleys a belt 29 runs, the said belt being provided at opposite points with bags 30, which lare permanently attached thereto in any suitable manner. The -inner edge of the belt 29 is provided with loops or eyes 31, which may receive a pin 32, which is attached in the head 25 for the purpose of securing the belt against movement. It should be understood that in practical use the belt 29 would be moved and secured in substantially the position in which it is represented in Fig. l-that is, with one of the bags 30 in an elevated position adapted to receive apples as they are picked from the branches of the tree. Then the bag becomes filled, the ring or loop 31, which is secured to the pin 32, would be disconnected and the weight of the apples in the bag allowed to cause their descent, as will be readily understood. As they descend the velocity of the load would be controlled by ones hand, which could be laid upon the belt, so as to afford a frictional resistance.

The bags `30 are adapted to dump their content-s into a chute 33, said chute being composed of sections 34 and 35, as shown, the main section 34 being suspended from the lower head E26 by means of cords 36, which cords attach to the extremities of a long bolt 37, the same being disposed preferably above the lower pulley 28, as indicated, and passing across the'space inclosed between the sides of the belt. This bolt 37 is preferably provided with an eye 38, which cooperates with a hook 39, the same being attached at 40 to the head, as indicated. The section 35 of the chute consists substantially of a rudely-constructed table 41, having legs 42 pivoted to the side thereof, as shown, the said legs being adapted to fold up at the side of the chute when not in use and being preferably arranged in two sets 42u and 42h, the sets of legs being adapted to support the table at dif- Both sections of the chute have bottoms 43 and upwardly-projecting side flanges 44, which side flanges support aprons 45 of fabric or similar material, as shown. The outer extremity of the section 34 of the chute is preferably supported upon the section 35 of the chute.

At the upper extremity of the ladder 1 and at the side opposite to the belt 29 there is attached a wheel 46, and this wheel is for the purpose of facilitating the moving of the device from place to place about an orchard when the device is in a folded condition, as shown in Fig. 7, at which time the extension-bar 2O would be secured so that the pulley 27 would be in substantial alinernent with the wheel 46. The wheel 46 would have the same diameter as the pulley preferably, so that when the parts are arranged as indicated the device may be trundled along like a wheelbarrow, the pulley-wheel 46 constituting virtually a truck.

Vhere the device is to be permanently folded, the parts may be brought into more compact form, as shown in Fig. 8, the wheel 46 and the pulleys having been removed and stowed within the bundle. The parts may be secured in this folded condition by means of a cord 47, wrapped about the same, as shown.

rIhe legs of the chute-section 35 which are nearest the harvester are of greater length, so that the chute inclines toward its outer extremity. The inclination, however, is gradual, so that the fruit passing down the chute will not be bruised as it passes from the chute into bags or receptacles to receive the same. Evidently the chute-section 34 accommodates itself to any of the possible positions of the extension-bar 20. This section of the chute is provided with guard-lianges 48, near the upper extremity thereof, to prevent any possibility of the fruit falling from the chute at the sides at this point.

While I have shown in the accompanying drawings the preferred form of my invention, it will be understood that I do not limit myself to the precise form shown, for many of the details may be changed in form or position without affecting the operativeness or utility of my invention, and I therefore reserve the right to make all such modifications as are included within the scope of the following claims or of mechanical equivalents to the structures set forth.

Having described my invention, what I claim, and desire to secure by Letters Patent,

1., In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, an extension-bar attached to the side of said ladder and movable longitudinally thereof, a conveyer-belt carried by said extension-bar, bags carried by said belt, and a chute adapted to be delivered to by said bags.

2. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, an extension-bar carried at the side of said ladder and movable longitudinally there- IOO of, pulleys carried by said bar, a belt carried by. said pulleys, bags carried by said belt, a chute, and means for suspending the inner extremity ofsaid chute at the lower extremity of said extension-bar.

3. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, a slidable extension-bar, a conveyerbelt carried at the side of said ladder upon said slidable bar, eyes carried at the edge of said belt, a pin with which said eyes may cooperate to secure said belt, and bags carried by said belt.

4. In a fruitharvester, in combination, a ladder, a wheel carried thereby at the upper extremity thereof. a pulley near the upper extremity of said ladder and which may aline with said Wheel, a second pulley, a belt passing over said pulleys, and bags carried by said belt.

5. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, a wheel attached at the upper extremity thereof at one side, an extension-bar slidably connected with the side of said ladder opposite said wheel, means for locking said slidable bar in different positions on said ladder, pulleys carried by said extension-bar, means for adjusting saidextension-bar longitudinally, a removable belt carried by said pulleys, bags carried by said belt, and means for securing' said belt against movement.

6. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, a slidable extension-bar attached at one side thereof, said bar and said ladder having openings which may aline, a pin adapted to pass through said openings to secure said Vbar, pulleys carried by said bar, a belt passing over said pulleys, means for securing said belt against movement, and a Wheel attached to said ladder at the upper extremity thereof and opposite to said extension-bar.

7. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a

ladder, a slidable extension-bar carried at the side thereof, a conveyer-belt carried by said extension-bar, bags carried by said belt, a chute comprising a main section and an outer section, means for supporting said main section from the lower extremity of said extension-bar at its inner extremity, said outer section constituting' a support for said main section at its outer extremity.

8. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, a slidable extension-bar carried thereby, a conveyer carried by said slidable bar, and a chuted attached to the lower extremity of said extension-bar, said chute having' a bottom of fabric.

9. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a ladder, a conveyer attached at the side thercof and adapted to lower fruit, a slidable extension-bar supporting said conveyer, a chute adapted to receive the fruit and including a main section, means for suspending said main section from said conveyer, an outer chutesection, said outer section having legs to support the same and constituting a support for the outer extremity of said main section.

10. In a fruit-harvester, in combination, a longitudinally slidable conveyer, a chute adapted to receive the fruit from the said conveyer, said chute comprising a main section and an outer section, means for supporting said main section at said conveyer, said outer section having' legs of different lengths adapted to adjust theJ same, said outer section constituting a support for the oiiter extremity of said main section.

In witness whereof I have hereunto set my hand in the presence of two witnesses.

EDVARD FRANCIS WILSON. Witnesses:

F. B. PEMBERTON, T. L. NEALE; 

